


Have Yourself a Gallavich Christmas

by Crimson_Bebop



Series: Gallavich Advent Calendar [2]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Christmas, Domestic Fluff, Domestic Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich, Family Feels, Holiday, M/M, Married Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Multiple, Post-Canon, Rating May Change, Recreational Drug Use, Smut, gallavichadventcalendar, xmas
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-09-06 08:21:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16828741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crimson_Bebop/pseuds/Crimson_Bebop
Summary: Following events ofDreaming of a Shitty Apartment.This story is of the week leading up to their first time hosting Christmas; each chapter based on a different prompt from the Gallavich Advent Calendar posted to Tumblr by @gallavichthings





	1. Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> I meant to post this first one yesterday :( But, here it is! I won't be doing every single prompt from the calendar, but I've got about 6 or 7 that I want to do.  
> There's no need to read _Dreaming of a Shitty Apartment_ to get the idea with this one, but _Your holiday glow heals my soul_ definitely clues you in to where this begins.

As they neared the airport and Ian noticed he was still gripping the oh-shit-handle of the passenger side tightly, he realized that for the rest of their lives he would likely _never_ get used to Mickey's driving; especially in the winter weather.

Icey roads simply seemed to be a fun challenge to the brunette as he still sped the whole journey and smiled a bit every time he jerked the steering wheel to correct the side of their fishtailing behind. Ian let out a loud audible sigh of relief when they parked in one of the cell phone lots. Mickey laughed at him and asked, “Too much fun for you, Tough Guy?”

“Wasn't fucking sure if we were going to die in a fiery wreck or if I'd die of a heart attack first.”

“Such a fuckin' baby,” Mickey continued to laugh while he pulled his cellphone from his pocket. Ian rolled his eyes and lit a cigarette before cracking his window.

“Yo, where you at?” said Mickey into his phone. “Alright, cool, we're in one of the lots, so we'll head that way in ten.”

When Mickey hung up he plucked the pack of smokes from the middle counsel and announced, “She's at baggage, right now.”

“You excited she's staying with us for a week?”

“Guess so,” murmured Mickey, conveniently focusing his sight on something outside of his window.

Ian grinned knowingly. “I think you are. I know I am. She hasn't been out in almost a year and that was only for the weekend.”

“Wish she would just move back, already,” admitted Mickey, “Worry about her.”

Ian frowned and reached over for Mickey's hand, grasping it on the edge of his seat. Mickey glanced at him, as he turned their hands over, and frowned a bit in return.

“Maybe you should suggest she stay?”

“She's never listened to me before,” grumbled Mickey, “She's too hardheaded. Wants to do everything on her fuckin' own.”

“Don't act like you don't have those exact same prideful genes.”

Mickey snorted a laugh and returned, “Fuck off.”

Soon they were pulling out of the lot, merging into the busy traffic heading into the airport, and Ian was back to secretly holding onto his door. It became less about the speeding, though, and more about the road rage when they neared the pickup curb, where every single asshole was trying to squeeze in at the same time.

“Oh my fuckin god,” yelled Mickey, throwing up his hands angrily, “It's not fuckin' rocket science!”

Ian tried hard not to laugh as Mickey pressed his hand into the horn button, then rolled down his window to lean out and yell, “Move your ass!”

“Oh, there she is!” pointed Ian and Mickey made a sudden, aggressive move, cutting someone off, and squeezing through a line of cars to get to the curb. Thankfully the person they passed had slammed on their brakes, so they narrowly missed them.

“Jesus fucking christ, Mick,” breathed Ian, catching a smirk in return from Mickey that had him glaring briefly and looking back at Mandy.

It was still a strange sight to behold, no matter how many times he did. He was sure he would always see Mandy as that angry, black haired, girl he knew in school. Not this sophisticated woman with designer luggage. It was almost jarring when she smiled happily at them while they moved up to the curb beside her.

“It's about time, Shitheads. I'm freezing my ass off,” said Mandy by way of greeting and Ian swore he let out a breath of relief.

He laughed as he exited, reaching her first for a hug. She squeezed tightly and Ian felt a wave of familiarity. A comfort that had been there for so many years that he didn't even realize he had missed so much. She pecked a kiss on his cheek before pulling away to turn to her brother, with a smile that held the brightness of the sun. Mickey mirrored it as he extended his arms and pulled her into a hug that had them both rocking back and forth gently.

“Missed you, Mick,” said Mandy softly.

Ian barely heard Mickey's even quieter reply, “Missed you, too.”

He swelled with a warm feeling as he watched them and decided to grab her bags so they could have as much time as they needed to bask in their reunion. Once her bags were secured in the trunk and he shut the door, Mandy was already climbing into the backseat.

“You want me to drive?” asked Ian, before Mickey could make it to the front of the vehicle.

Mickey gave him a look in return, saying he understood perfectly why he was offering. Ian grinned innocently and silently climbed into the passenger side.

*

“You guys live _here_?”

Mickey and Ian exchanged proud smiles as they both reached into the trunk to remove Mandy's bags. She was still looking around the community of duplicate brick townhouses with disbelief and enchantment when they approached their side.

“Do you have a garage?” asked Mandy, “Why did we park outside?”

“Ian's car is in there,” explained Mickey, while trudging on ahead towards the front door.

“You have two cars?”

Ian chuckled while Mickey stopped and looked back at her with a furrowed brow, “Yes, jesus christ. I told you we're livin' comfortably, didn't I?”

“Yeah, but I thought that meant you were, like, not buying knock-off brand food anymore, not that you're living _like this_.” Mandy vaguely waved her hand around, “Who did you guys fuck?”

“It's called having careers, bitch,” returned Mickey while he pulled his keys from the coat pocket. He didn't even have to set her suitcase down as he held the magnetic key to the flat mechanism. As it unlocked Mandy began to speak, “You have a keyle—“

Mickey looked back with a raised brow and she shut her mouth instantly, nodding her head in understanding. Ian laughed again, realizing just how much he missed their dynamic, and motioned for Mandy to go in first behind Mickey.

The excited barks from Cuervo Jr. caught her attention before anything else in the small foyer. He was up on his hind legs, practically dancing for joy to get love from Mickey, who quickly leaned down to pet him.

“He got pretty big,” said Mandy with a smile as she dropped to her knees to open her arms to the dog.

Ian scooched around her and the dog, that was overjoyed to be receiving so much attention, and shut the door. He set her other suitcase down and kicked off his boots as he replied, “Yeah, he was the biggest in the litter, so we always figured he'd be pretty big for his breed.”

“Alright, let's get on with the tour, I'm ready for a beer,” cut Mickey with an impatient wave of his hand, “You'll have plenty of time with Cuervo Jr. this week.”

He lead the way up the plush carpeted stairs to the octagon hallway at the top, spinning in a circle as he pointed out, “Closet, master suite with master bath, and my office.”

“You work from home a lot?” asked Mandy while she leaned in to get a peak at his office with an impressed expression.

“As much as I can. That's why Ian gets to use the garage, since he has to drive Monday through Friday.”

“Yeah, I'm sure that's the only reason why,” teased Mandy with a hidden wink for Ian, who grinned in return.

Mickey only gave her a quick look into their room, where she mumbled a few impressed swears, and then ushered them back downstairs with his impatience still evident. He showed her the downstairs hallway closet where they all hung up their coats, then briefly the kitchen, before leading her down to the dining room and living room.

“Wow, you went full homo-stereotype with decorating this place, huh?”

Mickey turned to give her a look as he pinched her side, which resulted in a reflexive swift smack to his chest from her.

“It's pretty easy to _not_ have a grungy looking place when you have some extra cash,” chirped Ian. “I'm sure your place is straight out of homes and gardens.”

She glared at him playfully over a smile.

Mickey helped her carry her bags as he ushered her towards the guest room beside the downstairs bathroom, just down a small hall off of the living room. Ian broke off from the tour as he worked on cracking open three beers and carried them to the coffee table in the living room, planting himself on the couch with an exhaustive sigh.

“No, Mick, it's actually really nice,” he heard Mandy say as they made their way back out to the main rooms, “I can't believe you live here.”

“Me either, and we've been here for four months already.”

Mandy snorted and reappeared, already smiling before her eyes met Ian's. She b-lined for the spot beside him. She plucked a beer from the table and laid back against his shoulder, so naturally. Ian wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close, while he watched Mickey let Cuervo Jr. out through the patio doors.

“Oh, there's also a patio with a backyard out here,” announced Mickey, “It's fenced in so you can just open the door to let Cuervo Jr. out.”

“We keep our smoking out there, too,” said Ian, “Trying to not ruin this place.”

“Jesus Christ, who are you people?” joked Mandy.

Mickey scowled at her, though seemed unable to hide his proud smile as he ventured outside to call out something to the dog.

“I'm so glad you're here,” stated Ian.

“Me, too. Feels like forever since I've seen you two.”

They sat in a comfortable silence as they both sipped their drinks and leaned just a bit heavier on one another.

“This place is really amazing, Ian,” spoke Mandy, “You guys have come such a long way.”

“Tell me about it,” chuckled Ian, “It's definitely easier when you're a team, though. Two decent disposable incomes gets you further.”

“I'll bet.”

“We're thinking we're gonna buy a house in about five years. Maybe in the suburbs.”

Mandy let out a loud laugh and returned, “Mickey in the suburbs? I need to see that.”

“Me, too,” grinned Ian, before taking a big gulp from his beer.

“Love the Christmas decorations, by the way.”

“Oh, Mickey put most of them up.”

Mandy sat forward quickly to look at him with surprise. “Shut the fuck up.”

Ian laughed and put his one hand up in a surrendering motion. “I swear.”

Mickey and Cuervo Jr. returned and he looked over their current state with suspicion; Mandy staring at him like he was an alien, while Ian seemed to be smiling like he would burst.

“What?” he asked with a non-threatening bite.

“Did you really decorate this place?” questioned Mandy.

Mickey sighed as he made his way to the other side of Ian, plopping down with an unnecessary force.

“So, what?” mumbled Mickey.

Mandy eyed him for a passing moment and ended up with a smirk, “You really are a stereotype now, huh?”

Mickey immediately flipped her the bird.

“I bet your favorite place to go on the weekends is HomeGoods,” taunted Mandy.

Ian laughed thoroughly while nudging Mickey who stayed silent, reaching for his beer. Ian couldn't stop himself from turning his head to conspicuously whisper to Mandy, “That's where we got this coffee table.”

Mandy almost choked on her beer as she looked to Ian with more laughter tumbling from her mouth.

“They've got really cool shit,” defended Mickey, practically into his bottle of beer before he went on to take a large swig, letting himself break and laugh once he had.

*

Hours had passed by of genuinely good conversation and possibly too many beers. The coffee table was lined with empty bottles, now, and the two siblings now sat on the floor with their backs to the couch, while Ian was sprawled out behind them, lazily caressing Mickey's shoulder.

Mickey had lit up a joint, once the hours had turned late, which was passed between him and his sister frequently, while Ian only hit it once, knowing he was feeling plenty relaxed just by watching them. There was something extremely comforting about seeing the two of them sitting safe in a big warm home.

Mandy turned and leaned back against the corner of the sectional, tucking a cushion under her head. Cuervo Jr. took this as an invitation and climbed into her lap. Ian watched her smile lovingly at the dog, petting him until he laid down in her arms.

“I really love it here,” admitted Mandy with an affectionate expression that may or may not have been exasperated by her inebriation.

“Me, too,” sighed Ian happily.

“I almost can't believe this is real,” smiled Mandy, as she shoved Mickey's thigh with her foot, “You really made all the right choices, Mick. You chose the harder road, but it paid off, huh?”

“It felt like an eternity, but yeah. Now that I'm at the end of it, it was worth it.”

Mandy smiled warmly and glanced at Ian.

“I've thought about it, ya know? I mean, what I do pays well and it's not _really_ illegal, but...It's not secure. I can only do it for so long. And I've already put a lot of years in, considering.”

“Have you thought about moving back?” asked Ian.

“You two would be the only reason why I would come back to this shitty city.”

“Well, we're two very good reasons,” implored Mickey, “You should do it.”

She laughed softly and plucked her nearly empty beer from the table, taking a big swig.

“Really, though, why not? You can stay with us.”

Mandy narrowed her eyes a bit at her brother. “You'd let me stay here?”

“Duh, asshole. You're always welcome here.”

She went quiet, looking down to Cuervo Jr., as if he had all the answers to life. But, Mickey was not done with his selling point.

“I can talk to Aniyah about giving you a job, I know she'd love ya. And you can stay here for as long as you need to. Right, Ian?” Mickey glanced back over his shoulder with a raised brow, and Ian realized he hadn't said much.

“Oh, yeah, of course,” said Ian quickly, “You know I've always wanted you close, Mands.”

“And what, like, I pay you rent or something?” questioned Mandy cautiously, but Ian didn't miss the flicker of hope that passed through her expression.

“Fuck that, we don't need help with the bills,” returned Mickey with a scowl, “We bring in plenty of money together on our own. Barely even got any debt, at this point.”

“Yeah, you wouldn't have to worry about anything like that, Mandy,” agreed Ian.

“I have thought about going back to school,” admitted Mandy quietly.

“Really?”

“Yeah, I've got a pretty big savings that would make it easier.”

“School for what, though?” asked Mickey.

“I was thinking counselor, maybe. For like, abused women.”

“Well, shit, _that's_ a secure job. There's plenty of those,” snorted Mickey. Ian gave Mickey a swift and hard poke to his shoulder, causing him to reflexively spit, “Ow, what? Am I fuckin' wrong?”

“No, dickhead, you're just insensitive,” laughed Mandy. “Definitely right, though. Just thought I'd have a good perspective on it. And I come from a place where I can't fuckin' judge, so I feel like they'd feel more comfortable with me.”

“That's actually an amazing idea,” encouraged Ian, “Maybe you should even become a therapist? You've always been really empathetic.”

“Thanks,” smiled Mandy.

“Whatever you do is better than being arm-candy for creepy old men, right?” said Mickey as he scooped up his pack of cigarettes and moved to the patio doors. He cracked the door open and lit a cigarette while Ian rolled his eyes at Mandy, who smirked and shrugged, as if she didn't disagree.

Ian sat up and pulled a folded blanket from the back of the couch to cover his legs with while he spoke, “Well, you're gonna be here for a little over a week, right? If at the end of that you want to stay, then you should.”

“Simple as that, huh?” returned Mandy with doubt in her tone.

“Yeah, it is,” argued Mickey, “If you're gonna be an ass about it, just think of it as payback for all the help ya gave me when I was locked up.”

“You're my brother, Mick. I had the money,” shrugged Mandy nonchalantly.

“That's what the fuck I'm sayin',” returned Mickey with a hint of impatience, “You're my sister, we're in the position to help. That's it.”

“You should go with Mickey to work on Monday and see how you like it there,” suggested Ian, a little excitedly.

“A boozy bakery? I can already tell you that I'll like it,” joked Mandy.

“Great, then work with us while you're in school,” concluded Mickey simply while flicking ashes outside.

He was looking away, with a familiar tension Ian recognized as the difficulty of voicing his concerns, and because of that he missed the hopeful, warm look Mandy was giving him. Ian didn't, and thus reached a hand out. She placed her hand in his and looked down just as her eyes misted up.

“Doesn't it sound perfect? We can be a happy, weird, _reformed_ family together,” spoke Ian.

Mandy laughed out loud and sniffled as she looked to him with sparkling wet eyes. He grinned and leaned down to place a kiss on her hand. She rolled her head to rest on his hand and murmured, “I'll think about it.”

*

Ian awoke to a familiar alarm from his phone. He quickly reached out to silence it upon realizing he was still in the living room. The christmas lights were all still twinkling brightly and the tv was flashing different netflix screen savers. He rubbed his tired eyes as he wondered when he had fallen asleep. A sudden thought occurred to him and had him sitting up, looking around for Mickey.

Mandy was sleeping on the other end of the sectional with Cuervo Jr. stretched out in front of her, under her arm. The dogs eyes were open and on him, as if waiting for Ian's next move, and yet he didn't squirm away from Mandy's hold.

Mickey, he found, was sleeping on the floor, curled up between the couch and the coffee table with a couch cushion and the hood of his jacket pulled over his head. Nostalgia hit Ian hard as he thought back on when Mickey used to sleep on the floor beside his bed in the Gallagher house. He reached a hand down and caressed his arm, watching with appreciation as Mickey's brows twitched up.

Ian refocused on the whole reason why his alarm had woken him and made his way to the kitchen to take his meds. He slowly woke more and more while he made and ate toast, drinking a half of bottle of water along with it.

A familiar passing wave of nausea set in and he leaned back against the counter beside the fridge, closing his eyes and taking a deep stabilizing breath. He tried to focus on other things, stamping down the annoyance that after all this time he still had to deal with the discomfort of his medication settling into his body.

Nothing was a better distraction than a familiar tired groan coming from the doorway. Ian opened his eyes to find Mickey, with his hood still up, shuffling tiredly into the room.

“Hey,” smiled Ian, “Didn't think you'd be up already.”

Mickey nodded mindlessly while he took up the spot beside Ian, shoving his hands into his hoodie's pockets.

“It was pretty cute waking up to find you curled up on the floor like that.”

Mickey again said nothing while he looked up at him with half-lidded eyes. Ian couldn't keep his hands away, reaching out to stroke Mickey's arm a few times.

“Take your meds?” mumbled Mickey.

“Yeah. I'm gonna go get changed and go for my run in a bit,” offered Ian, in hopes that Mickey would know he could take up the other spot on the couch to get more sleep. “Don't know if I'm gonna take Cuervo Jr. though, since he's cuddling with Mandy still.”

Mickey smiled and nodded, yawning through his words as he spoke, “Pretty cu-cu—ute.”

Ian chuckled a bit, agreeing with a nod, but he returned, “Why didn't you wake me up last night to go upstairs?”

“Was comfortable,” shrugged Mickey.

“You're so fuckin' weird,” smiled Ian as he turned, giving a suggestive tug on Mickey's hoodie.

Mickey moved in close and instantly snuggled into Ian's body like a tired kitten. He let out another tired groan and leaned his whole weight against Ian, who chuckled. He wrapped his arms tightly around Mickey and laid his head against his, letting his own eyes close.

“You should go lay down on the couch and get a little bit more sleep.”

Mickey simply grunted in reply. Ian softly pulled Mickey's hood off of his head and leaned down to nuzzle the nape of his neck. This was his favorite spot; his favorite feeling. He inhaled the mix of scents from Mickey's skin, soaking in the warmth, and pressed a tender kiss to him.

Ian felt the discomfort from his medication fading away while Mickey's hands unexpectedly traveled up under the back of his t-shirt. He left another kiss on Mickey's neck and whispered, “Do you want me to lay back down with you, Cuddlebug?”

“'s okay,” murmured Mickey, “Go on your run.”

“Well, I'll make coffee and breakfast as soon as I get back, okay?”

Mickey nodded against him and exhaled loudly through his nose while he turned his head to lay it on Ian's shoulder instead. Ian smiled at the furrowed brow he spied on Mickey's sleepy face and couldn't stop himself from kissing that, too.

“Why you always so warm,” mumbled Mickey sleepily.

“Because you make me so hot,” joked Ian softly.

Mickey let out an amused snort and finally pulled his head back to look at him through his lashes. He quirked a goofy smile, that was damn adorable to Ian, and reached out for Ian's bottle of water on the countertop.

Ian glanced to the doorway, looking out to darken hallway, and quietly mused, “I think we got through to her a bit.”

“Hope so,” gasped Mickey as he set the now empty bottle on the counter.

Ian eyed it with surprise and questioned, “Lil thirsty there, Mick?”

“Got cottonmouth like a motherfucker.”

“Gee, wonder why,” smirked Ian.

“Shut the fuck up and warm me up again,” commanded Mickey grumpily with extended arms.

Ian grinned blissfully as he pulled Mickey back in to another tight hug. Mickey pressed his body even closer, moving his feet to be between Ian's, and his hands went right back up Ian's shirt.

Ian let forth a bashful noise as he nuzzled his cheek against Mickey's hair.

“I love how needy you are in the morning,” he said.

And Mickey didn't disagree, he didn't even grunt like an angry old man. This was why Ian often spent his mornings snuggling into Mickey and soaking up every last ounce of tenderness he could get. Ian basked in this warmth, charging his love-battery for the day for so long that he was sure Mickey was about to fall asleep on him.

But, then the shorter man mumbled into his shoulder, “Thanks for being so okay with helpin' her out, and all that.”

Ian smiled and laid a kiss on his head before returning, “ _Both_ of you were my family long before I married you, Mick. I'd do anything for you guys.”

Mickey pulled away just enough to plant his warm, incredibly soft, lips to Ian's. Ian hummed as a rush of butterflies soared up into his throat. He tightened his hold on Mickey even more as the slow kiss faded into another that was equally warm and inviting.

Mickey's hand acquainted with Ian's jaw in a familiar way and he swore his toes began to curl against the tiled floor as he felt his thumb softly caressing him. He sucked in Mickey's breath just before Mickey moved that hand to the back of Ian's neck and pulled him deeply into his mouth.

Ian barely stabilized his stance as their mouths opened widely into a familiar rewarding dance of desire. He found his blunt nails pressing into Mickey's lower back as he pulled his waist in tight to his own. Mickey then turned them, redirecting Ian's back to the counter where he had originally stood. Mickey's tongue softly slipped across Ian's lip, which had him plunging his own tongue forward to meet it. The feeling was electric, and he knew Mickey felt it, too, when both of their bodies simultaneously pushed into one another with need.

Mickey's hand moved up and his fingers tangled into Ian's hair, before he spoke against his lips hotly, “How bout we take this shit upstairs and you get your cardio another way?”

Before Ian could agree verbally, Mickey's mouth was back on his, so he answered with his body instead, grinding into him and sucking on his tongue. Mickey moaned into him and dropped his hand to slip it inside the front of his shirt.

“Jesus, can you two keep the screwing to rooms that have _doors_.”

Mandy stood in the doorway with her arms crossed and Cuervo Jr. at her side wagging his tail.

“Oh, shit,” Ian pulled away from Mickey the best he could while being pinned to the counter, “Sorry, Mandy.”

Mickey snorted as he pulled his body off of Ian, and scowled, “What're ya sorry for? Making out in our own fuckin' kitchen?”

He grabbed Ian's hand and pulled him towards the doorway, where Mandy stepped inside out of their way.

“Good morning, we'll be back in a bit, and you should make coffee,” rattled off Mickey as they moved passed her.

She raised her middle finger for her brother, but smirked and seemed to indeed move towards the coffee pot. Ian turned enough to shrug innocently at her just before Mickey gave him a good tug away from the kitchen and towards the stairs.


	2. Snowflakes, Bells, and Carols!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains three days of prompts from the Gallavich Advent Calendar. As the title suggests: _Snowflakes, Bells, and Carols._

They spent the rest of their Sunday morning, and afternoon, in the ultimate lazy way; in sweats on the couch, watching tv. After their surprisingly acrobatic way of waking left Mickey and Ian grinning and glowing in their bed, they had redressed and wandered back downstairs to find Mandy in fleece leggings and an oversized raggedy t-shirt lounging on the couch, eating donuts from the box she'd found in the kitchen. And though they were all content to silently watch tv together, that didn't stop Mickey and Ian from exchanging loving looks, and touching tenderly where they were slouched together on the longer end of the sectional.

Mandy only commented on their obvious love-bubble once, and it was through a pleased smile that crinkled her eyes, “You guys are gross.”

Ian had beamed at her in return while Mickey grinned and shrugged, as if to say he was perfectly fine being that.

It wasn't until the afternoon that Mickey had checked his phone, which lead to him sighing exasperatingly and standing. “I'll be back,” he grumbled while he scooped up his coffee mug and headed for the stairs.

“Work? Really?” called out Ian, “It's Sunday!”

“I know,” groaned Mickey as he started his trek up the stairs.

“He really is committed to that job, huh?” questioned Mandy.

“Yeah, and he really loves it,” returned Ian, “He was almost obsessive over it when he first started supervising over the entire first branch. He didn't take a real break for _months_.”

“Who would've thought,” murmured Mandy. “I'm pretty proud of that man-child.”

“Me, too,” smiled Ian.

They paid attention to the television less and less as their conversation sparked into Mandy's work experiences in the last couple of years. She excitedly told him about her recent trip to Miami and how much she loved the water sports she finally got to try out.

Ian cleverly smirked as he said, “That sounds fun. Maybe once you're living here we can plan a trip to Lake Michigan.”

Mandy snorted, rolling her eyes playfully.

“The really _pretty part_ ,” continued Ian, “Up the coast in Michigan. We can rent a house by the dunes! And we'll get ATVs and jet skis. Doesn't that sound awesome?”

Mandy was chuckling at his excitement while he spoke, which melted into a happy smile. She bit her bottom lip for a moment before conceding, “Okay, yes, that sounds amazing.”

“Great! I'll tell Mick to start looking for rentals.”

“It's winter,” deadpanned Mandy, “Lake Michigan is fucking freezing right now.”

“I mean for next year,” corrected Ian casually.

“You really want me here for that long?”

“Well, if you're gonna go to school, it could take a couple years.”

Mandy's brows disappeared up into her bangs. She looked away and for a moment just silently picked at a loose string on her leggings. Ian reached a hand out to stroke her arm to comfort her through the tension he sensed.

“How are you guys so suddenly cool with the idea of that?”

“Well,” breathed Ian, “We've talked about it a lot in the last few months, actually.”

“Oh, so was this trip just a trap?”

Ian let out a soft laugh and replied, “Maybe. You know Chicago's a big place, right? Just because you move here, it doesn't mean you'll even see a _glimpse_ of your old life.”

Mandy nodded and gave him a reserved smile. “I know.”

“Okay, I'll drop it for now,” murmured Ian as he moved a little closer and tucked one of their decorative pillows near Mandy's thigh to snuggle into.

*

When Mickey finally made it back downstairs he found the other two had moved onto video games. He made a detour to the kitchen to make himself a drink. He quickly threw whiskey, ginger ale, and a squeeze of lime juice into a tumbler and headed out to the patio to have a cigarette. The sounds of the other two playing video games grew louder and louder while he smoked, and this made a smile on his face grow larger and larger. It really was the simple things that balanced life's frustrations.

When he returned inside he took a seat beside Ian, who was on the edge of the couch where he had his arms stretched out and tilted his entire body to follow every move he made in game.

Mickey watched him for a moment, laughing to himself. This pulled Ian's eyes from the tv, causing him to glance back at Mickey with a smirk.

“How'd everything go?” he asked, “Is everything okay with—Oh, come on, Mandy!”

Mandy laughed maniacally while Ian grumbled about blue shells being bullshit, and _cheating_.

Mickey laughed at the both of them and set a soothing hand on Ian's lower back.

“Everything's fine,” answered Mickey, “I'm jumping into the next round, by the way.”

The three of them played until the sun had set and their stomachs grumbled. Mickey suggested ordering pizza, which they both eagerly agreed with. After getting everyone's current preferences on what to order he bundled up and headed outside to smoke a cigarette while placing the order on his phone. Ian followed him out shortly after, taking up the patio chair next to him.

Mickey sent him a smile while he watched him light up a cigarette and softly asked, “Decided to take a break?”

“Yeah, and I wanted to look at the snow,” explained Ian as he lifted his gaze to the heavens.

Mickey looked on at the falling snow, too, and didn't feel as sentimental about it, considering he had a feeling he would be shoveling the walkway outside their front door early in the morning. The maintenance people never got to it until the afternoon.

The snowflakes were pretty, though. They were massive and fluffy looking as they drifted down.

“So, what happened with work?” asked Ian, returning his eyes to Mickey.

He opened his mouth to reply, but the strangest noise sounded out from one of the neighbor's. His brow furrowed as he stared at Ian with question. They'd never heard that sound in the community before.

“Was that a bell?” mumbled Ian, looking just as confused as Mickey felt.

More ringing echoed through the night, this time with what sounded like multiple bells. They heard a few people talking along with them, but after a moment just shrugged at one another. They'd grown up with sounds a lot scarier than that in their old neighborhood.

“Anyhow, there's this kid that bar tends, Angelo, that some of the bakers have been, like, harassing, or whatever” answered Mickey, finally.

“Why?”

“Cause they're dicks,” huffed Mickey. Though, after nibbling his bottom lip for a moment he continued, “They keep teasing him about being closeted.”

“Is he?”

“I dunno. He's, uh, pretty cold. And very defensive over the whole situation, so I'd say it's prolly true. But, this is makin' him threaten to quit, and he's a good ass worker, man.”

“What're you gonna do?”

“Well, I've got a meeting with those three little shits tomorrow. Aniyah thought it would be better coming from me than one of their supervisors, since, you know...I understand first hand what it feels like.”

“That's a good point,” returned Ian quietly.

“And they're all scared of me," added Mickey with a wiggle of his brows. Ian let out a laugh and shook his head. Mickey took a hit from his cigarette before continuing, "The one entitled asshole is gay, too, which pisses me off. I'm gonna give him a hell of a wake up call. It should help that I'm firing someone tomorrow, too. I'll probably do that beforehand.”

“Wait, what? Why?”

“You know how I said our deposits keep coming up short? Twenty here, ten there, fifty the one time?” Ian nodded his head. “Well, Aniyah and I decided to install extra cameras last Sunday. The chick that closed last night sent me a message sayin' it was short again, so I checked the security footage. Guess who we caught on camera with their hand in the fuckin' cookie jar? The stupid store manager.”

“Jesus,” exhaled Ian, “Who're you gonna replace him with?”

The sounds of people chatting nearby grew louder, and more excited, along with the obnoxious bells ringing again. Mickey paused, looking towards the fence again. What the fuck was going on?

“I don't know, man,” he pushed on, “Aniyah and I are trying to figure that out right now. There's a couple options, I guess. But, I'll have to pick up the slack until they're fully trained.”

Their conversation came to a halt as those bells came closer, sounding right outside of their next door neighbors and Mickey couldn't take it anymore.

“Who the hell is ringing those bells?” spat Mickey loudly, his eyes going wide with disbelief.

The bells went silent instantly. There wasn't another peep of _any_ noise for a following moment, so Mickey nodded his head and sat back with success glinting in his eyes. Until they heard the clopping of many boots on the sidewalk that lead to all of the back ends of the townhouses. Mickey tensed up, ready for whatever sort of attack was coming.

“So sorry about that, Sir!” a stranger called out, “We're carolers!”

“Carolers? Seriously?” Ian called back, looking to Mickey with bursting interest that had Mickey rubbing his eyes and shaking his head. Of course Ian would be excited.

They could hear the people approaching, see a few heads over their fence, as they neared their gate. One women seemed to stand on her tiptoes to pop her head up above the fence, smiling happily as she asked, “Would you like us to sing you a carol?”

“That sounds awesome!” returned Ian, smashing his cigarette into their ashtray as he shot out of his chair to rush to the gate.

He swung it open and the best Mickey could see of them, there were at least eleven people. Two he recognized from around their community.

“Mick, get over here,” hissed Ian with a demanding tug of his head.

Mickey sighed as he stood, dropping the last of his cigarette into the ashtray. He slowly moseyed over while the carolers began to ironically sing _Silent Night_ , but he wasn't looking at the group of strangers. No, his eyes were only on Ian.

Ian with his fiery red hair contrasting with all the soft snowflakes collecting in it; his eyes even brighter than usual as he watched the people perform. He had such a childlike wonder to his expression that made Mickey feel like nothing bad had ever, or could ever, harm the man. He appeared as pure as the big white snowflakes that cascaded around him.

Ian looked _completely and utterly happy_. And until the end of his days, this was all Mickey ever wanted to see again.

He glanced back at him then and did a double take upon finding his husband staring. His smile quirked higher on one side as he asked, “What're you looking at?”

Mickey smiled softly and slowly shook his head in answer. There were no words to fully express how beautiful Ian was, or how it made Mickey feel to look at him. He moved a little closer as Ian gave him a suspicious look and returned his sights to the carolers. Mickey finally peeled his eyes from Ian and looked at them as well.

They looked happy, too, despite walking around in the freezing cold.

“We never had carolers back home,” murmured Ian, once Mickey was beside him, “I never thought I'd actually experience this.”

Mickey's smile grew even larger and warmer as he looked to Ian again. The evidence tended to sneak up on both of them at surprising times like this; their new life together was nothing like the rough ones they grew up with. Everything was different—perfectly reborn and beautiful.

Ian snaked his hand into Mickey's, intertwining their fingers with ease and familiarity, while he smiled in return. Their eyes locked on and Mickey felt elated. This was their life. How the hell was this _their life_ now?

Mickey's heart sputtered as their eyes dug deeper into one another and he wondered how it seemed that more and more each day Ian's gaze could make him feel so unbelievably loved.

When the carolers finished Mickey hadn't really been aware, so it confused him when Ian pulled his hand away to start clapping.

“Thank you so much!” he beamed at them, “That was beautiful.”

They all returned different parting phrases as they left:

“Happy holidays!”

“Stay warm!”

“Have a merry Christmas!”

“Enjoy your night!”

Ian shut the gate and spun back to press an unexpected, but very much so wanted, kiss to Mickey's lips.

“I love you, so much, Mick,” whispered Ian gently against his lips when they parted.

Mickey choked down the emotion that threatened to split him in two and smiled, “I love you, too.”

Ian let out a quiet, but delirious laugh and playfully bumped their foreheads together, before they both turned to head back inside. They were both shocked to find Mandy, without a coat, standing just outside the sliding doors with a huge smile on her face.

“The fuck you lookin' at?” scowled Mickey with a face that was red from embarrassment more than the cold air.

“Did you see the carolers?” asked Ian happily.

“Mhm,” nodded Mandy, unlocking her arms and holding up her phone unexpectedly, “And I got some really cute pictures of you guys, too.”

They returned inside before Mandy froze, and Ian immediately insisted on seeing the pictures. He showed Mickey his favorites, babbling about having them printed to frame, and Mickey couldn't hide his smile. Seeing Ian glowing in the snow, witnessing something beautiful that he had always wanted, was definitely something that Mickey wanted documented and framed. Even though he knew he would always remember the moment, picture or not.

There was one of them both looking at each other, smiling equally, with the snow frozen mid-air all around them, and carolers holding their candles and bells in the background, that was absolutely perfect to him. Mickey swore it magically captured how he felt about the moment.


	3. Jumpers/Sweaters

Mickey put his car in park, glancing to his home, and suggested he and Mandy smoke a cigarette in the car before going inside. She didn't have a problem with it as she pulled a foot up on the passenger seat, bending her knee, and rolled down her window.

Mickey lit his cigarette and glanced over. Their family wasn't very good at praising one another, but he pushed himself, feeling it needed to be said.

“You did really good today,” he began, “I heard the customers liked you a lot.”

“I'd say so. Got over a hundred bucks in tips just from three hours behind the bar. It's the perfect location to get chill people _and_ rich assholes looking to waste their money.”

They exchanged knowing smirks.

“So, what'cha think?” asked Mickey a little nervously, before pausing to take a hit and rub his nose with his thumb, “Would you be cool working with us?”

Mandy looked forward out the windshield towards the townhouse in front of them. Mickey tried to ignore the worry he felt creeping in as he waited for her response.

“You guys really want me to move in, huh?”

“Somethin' wrong with wanting my sister in my life?”

“You're not just trying to like save me from a life of escorting?” asked Mandy quietly with a glance at him.

“It's your life, man, do whatever the fuck you want.”

It was quiet for another moment so he looked at her again, finding a smile on her face.

“I think I'm gonna stay, Mick,” said Mandy quietly.

“Yeah?”

She nodded. “I love it here, with you two, and I even like your business. I got to drink and eat cupcakes, it was pretty great. And I can't believe I got along with all the employees.”

“That's because they're mostly deviants,” chuckled Mickey.

Mandy reached over to hit him and he laughed harder.

“What? That's what I like about 'em,” defended Mickey, “And guess what? There's a full-time bartending position available right now.”

He wiggled his brows at her and happily watched as she caved, grinning at him in return.

“Let me just think about it a bit more, okay?”

“The fuck for? What else is there to think about?”

“I just wanna dangle the carrot a bit more,” returned Mandy with a devious tone, “See what else Ian's going to do to convince me to stay.”

“You're fuckin' terrible,” laughed Mickey, “I'm gonna tell him you said that.”

“You're so whipped.”

“I think what you're tryin' to say is _happily married_.”

“ _Whipped_ ,” repeated Mandy with a drawl.

“Don't act like you wouldn't bend over backwards for that goofy redhead, too.”

“Yeah,” laughed Mandy, “He's pretty damn lovable.”

Mickey let out a laugh as he nodded in agreement, pressing his cigarette out into the ashtray. Once Mandy's was out too they rolled up their windows and headed in.

“I could take some time off after the new year to help you move,” offered Mickey when they stepped into the foyer.

“You don't gotta do that,” dismissed Mandy while they kicked off their shoes.

Mickey opened his mouth to argue, but Ian's voice cut in first.

“Hey, how was work, guys?”

Both Milkoviches froze as they spied Ian at the end of the hall, grinning as if he fully expected their reaction, while he stood proud in the most ridiculous sweater Mickey had ever seen in his life.

It was bright red with a Christmas tree front and center that had an overly enthusiastic cartoon face. Mickey looked at each of the small bulbs on the sweater that were flashing and almost choked on all the different words rushing to get out of his mouth at the same time, so what came out was a croaking noise.

Mandy broke, blowing a laugh out through her lips loudly before she looked at Mickey and they both laughed out loud, nearly collapsing into one another.

“What the fuck are you wearing?” asked Mickey with laughter still tumbling out through his words.

Ian rolled his eyes as he let out a laugh of his own, “It's a Christmas sweater.”

“Did you get it from the Granny two houses down?” teased Mandy, and Mickey laughed harder.

“I ordered them online!” defended Ian, though his expression was entirely excited.

“Why?”

Ian ignored his response, continuing, “They just came in today. They're soft as hell, too.”

“Wait...” Mickey paused, his laughter halting at last when he held out a hand in front of him and raised a brow in question, “ _They_? You bought more than one?”

“One for each of us.”

“Oh, no, no, no, no,” said Mickey quickly, even taking a step back towards the foyer, “There's no way I'm wearing that shit.”

“C'mon, Mick! I want a picture of all of us in them.”

“What the fuck for?”

“Stop being a grump. It's _fun_.”

Mandy suddenly rushed down the hall, throwing her coat to the floor, as she called out, “I get to pick mine!”

Mickey had both brows raised now as he watched the two disappear into the dining room area, like excited children. He sighed and moved down the hall to collect Mandy's discarded coat. He hung it in the hall closet, along with his own that he shed slowly while trying to figure how to get out of this. That desire grew when he heard Mandy cackling before she spoke, “Is that a teddy bear? Oh, we have to make Mickey wear that one.”

Ian laughed and agreed. Mickey quickly moved to the end of the hall and took on a battle stance, crossing his arms and giving the back of their heads a threatening look. Mandy stripped away her shirt and unfolded one of the two sweaters that sat on the dining room table, while Ian turned with a smile already prepared for Mickey.

“C'mon, Mickey,” pleaded Ian, reaching out a hand in offering, “It'll be cute.”

“Cute,” repeated Mickey with a laugh, “I don't think so. You two can do it, I'll take the picture.”

“I am not taking a holiday picture without my husband,” stated Ian.

Mickey hated how the word _husband_ made his constitution waver every single time they got into one of these battles. He blew out a frustrated breath and Ian's smile grew cocky, like he knew exactly what he'd just done to Mickey's fighting spirit.

He drifted closer and closer, his ugly sweater screaming in Mickey's face as he neared him. The Christmas tree with it's dumb goofy grin taunted Mickey almost as much as the lights that blinked throughout the sweater.

Ian's big hand slid onto Mickey's neck and wrapped around to the back. He raised his eyes to the soft, begging expression on Ian's face, and knew in that moment that he'd lost. But, he let Ian butter him up a little more, just cause. He was no better than his sister.

“Please, Mick,” whispered Ian as he set his forehead on Mickey's, “I really want a dumb Christmas picture to look at for the rest of our lives. This is the first time we're going all out for Christmas, you know? I thought we could turn it into a Christmas card next year.”

“I do _not_ want to send a bunch of people a picture of us in stupid sweaters.”

“Please,” begged Ian, and Mickey could see the smile growing on his face before the redhead dropped his voice even more, “I'll make it worth it, I promise.”

“How?” murmured Mickey.

Ian kissed his lips gently, teasingly, and whispered, “It's not the only thing I ordered online.”

The hairs on Mickey's arms promptly stood up at those words. He tilted his head back and looked into Ian's eyes that sparkled with promise and excitement.

“Oh yeah? What else you get?”

“Holy shit, can you two please continue this weird whispering flirtation later when your sister isn't present?” grumbled Mandy, cutting right through the moment and effectively dumping ice cold water on Mickey.

“Alright, I'll do it,” relented Mickey, his eyes flickering back to Ian's.

He glared when Ian's expression turned smug, knowing full well that Mickey would always cave for him. He couldn't wait to kiss that dumb cocky look right off Ian's face later when they were alone.

Mickey's humor barreled back when his eyes went to his sister instead. She wore a big sweater with Rudolph's face on it, the red nose was lit up, and a pair of antlers on her head. He broke, launching into another laughing fit. “You look ridiculous!”

Mandy simply smirked at him before she lifted up the only remaining sweater and returned, “People in glass houses, Mick.”

“Un-fuckin-believable,” mumbled Mickey as he grabbed it from her. He shot another glare at Ian as he began to change into the sweater.

“I'll get you guys some beers,” offered Ian as he ignored the glare.

Mandy was grinning at Mickey when he fixed the sweater and looked down at it.

“Don't say a fucking word,” threatened Mickey.

She laughed and reached out to squeeze the battery pack at the end of his sweater, turning on the scatter of multi-colored lights. Mickey's hand immediately went to his eyes as he dramatically sighed. “What the hell is my life anymore,” questioned Mickey with his eyes going to the ceiling instead.

He felt Cuervo Jr. bumping against his leg and looked down with a smile. He dropped to his knee to give the dog attention, murmuring, “Surprised your other dad didn't put you in a sweater, too.”

“It didn't come in yet,” announced Ian as he breezed back into the room with three bottles of opened beer.

“You really gonna do that to our boy?” joked Mickey as he grabbed his beer.

“Think of how cute he'd look!”

Mickey rolled his eyes as he took in a large gulp of alcohol. He found himself chugging most of it, letting out a burp while he set the bottle on the table. Before he could prepare himself for what came next, Ian was suddenly pressing a hat down onto his head. Mickey raised his eyes to what flash of white and red he could see before looking at Ian, who was again grinning.

“Speaking of cute,” he said.

“You seriously going to make me wear a hat, too?”

“It ties the look together. Now you and the bear match,” explained Ian as he pointed to the innocent teddy bear on Mickey's sweater, which wore an over sized lopsided santa hat.

Mickey sighed, but decided to just go along with it. He obviously wasn't going to win this battle.

“ _Whipped_ ,” sang Mandy under her breath.

Mickey ripped his hat off his head to smack her across the back of the head with it. She shoved him in return and he shoved her back with one hand.

“Okay, alright, let's take this picture already,” suggested Ian with both his hands raised in a calming motion.

“Do you wanna use my selfie stick?” asked Mandy, and Mickey snorted loudly.

She gave him the finger while Ian happily replied, “That'd be perfect!”

Mandy retrieved the selfie stick from her room and Mickey let out another laugh at the sight of her opening it up.

“I don't even know who you are anymore.”

“Ditto,” she returned with an obvious once-over of his appearance.

“Okay, okay, no more fighting,” said Ian as he moved over towards their tall, brightly colored christmas tree. “Let's take it in front of the tree.”

Mickey took another large gulp from his beer before moving to Ian's side.

Before long the three of them stood, pressed together in front of the tree. Ian stood in the middle with his arms wrapped around the other two. Mandy held the selfie-stick out with Ian's phone attached.

“Okay, big smiles,” said Ian through his own large grin.

“This is so fucking stupid,” spoke Mickey under his breath as he forced a picture-ready-smile.

The screen blinked, indicating it took a picture, however Ian stayed perfectly still, as if he wanted to take as many as possible like this. But, before it could take another one with them in that position, Mickey quickly threw up a middle finger towards the phone. It took another picture, and Mickey felt Ian laugh. Mandy suddenly raised a middle finger on her freehand and Ian raised both of his, just before the next picture was taken.

When they went back and looked at all of the pictures, most being of them making faces and goofing around, this one had been the winner. All three of them flipping the bird with massive grins on their faces.

“Okay, we _have_ to make this our christmas card,” laughed Ian, and Mickey couldn't stop himself from agreeing. He actually loved the outcome of this unexpected pain.

*

Mickey pressed his fingers and thumb into his closed eyes, letting out a sigh of annoyance, before returning his gaze to the tablet in his hand.

He had stripped down to his boxers the second he entered their bedroom, tossing the ridiculous sweater and santa hat onto the end of the bed where Ian could do whatever the hell he wanted with them. He was still waiting for Ian to come to bed, so he sat up and pulled out the tablet he used for work. The glass of whiskey he had brought with him was nearly empty on the nightstand by the time Ian finally glided into the room.

“Hey, man,” said Mickey with a quick glance up, noting that Ian still wore his sweater, “Thinkin' I need to go see the eye doctor. My eyes've been hurting like a motherfucker lately.”

“That's not surprising,” breathed Ian, “Given how much time you spend looking at screens like that.”

Ian dropped something onto the bed near Mickey's feet, prompting him to set the tablet down and look up. Ian sat next to it and continued, “Probably won't be able to make an appointment until after the new year, though.”

“The fuck is that?” asked Mickey, disregarding Ian's last comment and pointing to the blank sealed box that Ian had brought with him.

“Oh.” Ian paused as an intriguing mix of bashfulness and confidence spread over his face. “I thought I'd show you what else I ordered.”

“Yeah?” smirked Mickey while he leaned forward to look closer at the box, “So let's see it.”

“So eager,” teased Ian, even as he literally ripped the flaps of the box open with an impressive force. Mickey's smile grew to a full blown grin as he watched, making brief eye contact with Ian that had both of them looking like they'd just taken a shot of espresso.

When Mickey first laid eyes on the contents of the box his smile sputtered and his brow furrowed. It looked like an adult store had thrown up Christmas into the box.

“The website was having this special on their holiday couple kits,” explained Ian quickly as he watched Mickey's reaction.

“Jesus fucking Santa Christ,” murmured Mickey, “Didn't realize the elves in the north pole made sex toys, too.”

Ian laughed and gave Mickey a playful shove, sparking his own set of laughter as he reached in to pull the first thing out. He opened the smaller box curiously and pulled out red bondage straps with white fluffy cuffs; _four_ of them. Mickey raised a brow high and glanced at Ian.

“You planning to hogtie me?”

“Mmm, I love that you know it's to use on you,” purred Ian, leaning in real close until Mickey was grinning again. He barely contained it long enough to receive a kiss before Ian pulled back and continued, “But, no, that's not to hogtie you.”

Ian reached into the box and pulled out a giant red bow that seemed entirely innocent at first.

“ _This_ is for that,” added Ian.

Mickey let out another laugh and rolled his eyes. He held up the pile of fluffy cuffs and stretchy red straps, asking, “So what we gonna do with this mess?”

“I was thinking I could cuff you to the headboard with that. Wrists _and_ ankles.”

“That right?” returned Mickey, trying to keep his cool and present confidence, but Ian's suggestion had him internally quaking with excitement.

Ian shrugged with an ever growing aura of sureness.

“Least now I know for sure why you fought me so hard on that badass upholstered headboard I wanted. You just _had to have_ this slatted wood one, huh?”

“Stop acting like you're not excited,” dismissed Ian with a wink that flipped Mickey's stomach like a pancake. “Anyhow, there's a lot more than bondage shit in here, ya know.”

Mickey set the cuff set aside and motioned his chin towards the box, indicating Ian to proceed. The next thing out of the box really had Mickey filling up with delighted surprise. It was the most ridiculous c-ring he had ever seen, but it had a vibrating function that made him bite onto his lower lip. The ring itself was red with an unnecessary snowflake design all over it and the vibrating bullet was bright ass green. Frankly, it was hideous, but hey, he had a feeling he'd like the way it looked on Ian.

Ian was already opening the package to take it out before Mickey could even say, “Well, shit, that looks like a winner.”

Ian was smirking like a feline as he handed it over, with the included remote that made Mickey's eyes go wide. He hummed appreciatively as he popped the vibrating bullet out to inspect it. He hit one of the buttons on the remote and let out surprised laugh at the intensity of it.

“Could be,” sang Ian, as he returned his hands to the box.

As Ian started tossing dvds aside, Mickey leaned forward to inspect the innards of the box, again. There was a blindfold that matched the cuff set, a bottle of some kind of massage oil that claimed to promote arousal, a small green buttplug, and a—

“What the fuck is this?” laughed Mickey as he snatched out what looked like an elongated Santa hat. The design of the thin silky straps had him barking another laugh and questioning, “Is this an actual fucking Christmas hat g-string?”

“Looks like it,” returned Ian through his own laughter, “This box is amazing.”

“Fuck the rest of it,” said Mickey, “You're putting this on _right now_.”

Ian's face went red from either laughing or shyness as Mickey tossed it at him and waved his hands in dismissal. “You're serious?” he asked.

“Hell yeah, I am,” replied Mickey, “Go get gussied up for me.”

He wiggled his brows at Ian and leaned back again to cross his arms. Ian let out a bashful noise and stood up, pausing his journey to grab Mickey's glass and inhale the rest of his whiskey. Mickey chuckled at him as he walked towards the bathroom, hissing through the burn of the alcohol.

“Oh, wait,” called Mickey, sudden brilliance hitting him just as Ian was about to disappear into their bathroom. He quickly reached down to the edge of the bed and grabbed his discarded santa hat and bundled it up to throw it. “Put this on, too.”

Ian barely managed to catch it out of the air as he sent him a suspicious glare.

“I swear, if you laugh at me, I'm going to cuff you to the bed and really make you suffer.”

“That a promise?” replied Mickey smoothly.

Ian simply laughed and shut the bathroom door behind him. Mickey quickly went into action clearing the bed of everything. He practically threw the box to the floor, tossing everything back into it, except the c-ring that he set aside with a smile. He even pulled their favorite lube from his nightstand. And then the seconds felt like minutes as he sat back against the headboard and waited.

His imagination went into overdrive in the bath of anticipation he soaked in. He bent one knee up and laid his arm over it, resisting a strong urge to palm himself. When the door handle turned he pulled in a breath and tried to school his expression into something close to relaxed.

Ian stepped out only to the doorway, where he proceeded to lean against the frame with a sickeningly perfect smirk. It tied the whole look together.

Mickey's eyes immediately went to the lower hat, which looked a bit ridiculous, but the sight of it full and straining to stay in the proper place had him subconsciously licking his lips. His eyes wandered back up, all the way to Ian's green eyes that seemed to be popping that much more under the red and white hat on his head. Ian crossed his arms and tilted his head a bit, bringing Mickey to take in the whole picture. His pale, freckled skin was glowing and beautiful and Mickey didn't even know what to do with himself.

“Shit,” he hissed slowly while his eyes uncontrollably wandered back down all of his perfectly taut muscles screaming for attention. “Get the fuck over here.”

“You like it?” questioned Ian with a smile made of sunshine dust as he moved towards the bed.

“Look straight out of a calendar or somethin',” said Mickey, “I could get off just lookin' at ya.”

One thing he knew for sure about Ian was the more he praised and showered him with compliments, the more handsy he got with Mickey in return. He downright man-handled him as he got on the bed and tore the blankets away from him, grabbing his legs to yank him down to a laying position. Mickey smiled uncontrollably up at Ian as he hovered over him with eyes that glinted delicious promise. He peeked down at the g-string and nibbled his bottom lip to fight back a grin from the sight of the hat pulling further from Ian's hips due to his growing arousal.

Ian disrupted his observation with a heated kiss that sucked Mickey's bottom lip away from his teeth. Mickey reached a hand up and relished the softness of Ian's santa hat as he pulled him down into an even deeper kiss.

Goosebumps raced down Mickey's legs when he felt the fuzzy ball at the end of the g-string hat sliding up his inner thigh. The teasing sensation of it repeatedly ghosting across the sensitive skin of his inner thighs, and even his dick, had him breathing harder and kissing Ian more wildly with wide hungry kisses. Ian seemed to be feeling something similar from it as he matched Mickey's hot kisses with need, gripping onto his hair to direct him.

Mickey found himself desperately thrusting up against the hat, groaning nearly every time he felt himself collide with Ian's hard erection inside of it. He moved both of his hands down to Ian's bare ass and spread his legs as he pulled him down tight. Ian dipped just right and thrusted up, causing the fuzzy tip of the hat to slip across all of Mickey's most sensitive skin in it's journey.

He shivered, nearly biting Ian's lip, and instead grabbed Ian by the shoulders so he could flip them over. Ian was very pleased with the position change going by the massive grin on his face.

Mickey's eyes slipped over the beauty of Ian in that damn santa hat as he leaned forward, parting his lips. Ian's glowing eyes closed, his mouth opening in expectation, but as their lips briefly touched, Mickey let out a breath on him and moved away; down his torso where he languidly dragged his lips and tongue. Down, down, down, until he was face to face with the other hat. He started to flick his tongue against the fluffy white ball at the end and listened to Ian suck in a loud breath.

Mickey raised his eyes, a smirk growing on his face, as he found Ian tense and now up on his elbows. “Alright, you're gonna have to take this thing off,” urged Mickey as he sat up and instead reached for the c-ring on the nightstand, “And put this on instead.”

Ian grinned excitedly and wasted no time lifting his hips, and thus lifting Mickey, to yank the g-string off of his body. Once he tossed it off into the room Mickey put a hand to Ian's chest, gaining his full attention, and let his eyes wander his face for a passing moment.

“Leave the other hat on, though,” instructed Mickey with a suggestively raised brow.

*

Mickey was really starting to like Christmas. A lot.

Where had it been all this life, he wondered as he rode Ian harder and harder, gazing unflinchingly at the sight of him in that santa hat with green eyes glazed over in pleasure. The end of the hat bounced happily through the reverberation of their bodies slamming together and Mickey thought they would have to keep this christmas cheer alive all year round.

As if Ian knew exactly what he was thinking he suddenly flashed him a bright smile and leaned forward in attempt to capture Mickey's lips with his own. Little did he know, Ian was also fishing around the bed for the remote to the bullet in the c-ring. When it abruptly turned on Mickey audibly gasped, freezing up immediately.

Mickey wrapped an arm tightly around Ian as an overwhelming sensation swarmed his body all the way down to his toes that curled tightly into the bed. Ian was grinning again, through increasingly loud panting, and grabbed onto Mickey's hips to move him back until his ever-rock-hard erection was directly against the spot that made Mickey exclaim.

His sights were filled with exploding stars, so his world tumbled nonsensically as Ian abruptly flipped them over and pulled out. Mickey was still shuddering with pleasure, even with the loss, and thus felt like a rag doll as Ian flipped him over again and pulled his ass up into the air.

Mickey's face went between their pillows in this new position and that was probably for the best, considering when Ian slammed back into him at just the right angle he was again crying out right into the mattress below his face.

Mickey grabbed handfuls of the top of the mattress in attempt to stabilize his body as Ian didn't let up on him for a single second. He swore he saw sugar plums dancing in his mind as he shut his eyes tight and repeatedly swore, “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck...”

He heard Ian moaning his name and knew he was close, too. He pictured the way his husband had to have looked in this position, inching on his edge of ecstasy, and felt his body shoved over his own. The vibrating c-ring was the best christmas gift of all time, decided Mickey, as he exploded to pieces, entirely untouched. Ian followed him, exhaling hot aired grunts onto Mickey's back before they both collapsed together, shaking endlessly.


End file.
